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Canals and hills loop

Looking for a mixed walk that you can take all day over and feel like you've "done a walk" but not gone too far, had lovely views and a suitable refreshment stop or two? This might be for you...

For the sake of starting somewhere..... from the Stroud Canal at the Lock Keepers Cafe in Stroud, also on hotc, head east up the valley. The path is easy to follow, apart from one small twist as follows: About 1km in you'll go through a tunnel, then turn right and up and over the canal and turn right to swap sides of the canal. not too tricky.

Walk past the viaduct (cool graffiti in the arches), and follow the canal into the countryside to the Stroud Brewery Tap. Organic beer and Pizza (check on line if they are cooking, tends to be weekends only). After refreshment retrace your steps and cross over the canal at the first bridge and head up hill. Straight up!

At the top you're on Rodborough Common. Home of the Bear Hotel, if you need more refreshment, and Winstones Ice Cream if it's just yummy calories. Bear right along the top, follow the "top" road . There are a cluster small car parks as the road turns right, go straight on towards the Castle / house on the end of the Common, amazing views.

Back to Stroud down off the nose of the hill. Pop into the Prince Albert , Rodborough if you've worked up a thirst. Bear left here and into the church yard on the right for an unusual view of Stroud. It's pavements from here: back round past the Prince Albert is easiest to guide you. Left down the hill and right at the bottom and the Upper Locks is through the under pass on the right next to the roundabout.

Easy start, a tough climb, amazing views, lots of refreshment stops and allow most of a day if you're after a lazy wander.

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Uley Bury

Walking from the village: To get to the top of this ancient fort from the village, walk from beside the pub on the main road through Uley. Cross the road and take the narrow footpath to the right of the church. Fork right before the first house and follow the path up towards the kissing gate. Enter the field and head for the edge of the woods to pick up the path towards the gate at the top. Enter the woods and continue straight uphill along the higher path to emerge at the foot of Uley Bury.

By car: drive north out of uley and as the road climbs it passes through woodland. When it opens out again there is parking on the left and an easy pedestrian entrance onto Uley Bury.

Uley Bury is the long and impressive flat-topped Iron Age hill fort dating from around 300 B.C. It commands spectacular views from the Cotswold escarpment over the Severn Vale.

The fort’s double line of ramparts are more than a mile in length overall. Aerial photography has revealed extensive crop marks suggesting that there were once numerous dwellings in the interior of the hill fort. The walk around its ramparts is flat, through woodland rich in Ash, Beech and Oak, carpeted with calcareous grasses and wild flowers.

It was locally once known as the "maiden" hill, since it was said never to have been captured and indeed so steep is the hill it is hard to imagine it being taken unless by surprise at the narrow neck that unites it with high land to the east. Another interpretation is that the name 'maiden' comes from Celtic words for 'great hill'. Occupation seems to have ceased from 100 AD, by which time the Romans had conquered all of England.

Uley, GL11 5TL

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